drive booster
Download the driver from within the program.
Create a restore point before updating drivers.
Scan for outdated drivers on a scheduled basis.
There are no daily download or update limits.
Includes offline updater.
Frequent pop-up ads for other software from the company.
A button to get the pro version always appears.
If you pay for the pro version, more drivers are available.
An attempt was made to install unrelated programs during the installation process.
Driver Booster is the best option. It's always the tool I use on my computer and the first tool I recommend to anyone who needs one of these programs. It can be annoying at times because of the way it advertises other products, but it's compatible with all versions of Windows and makes updating drivers simple because it does all the heavy lifting for you.
It runs automatically to find outdated drivers and supports over 6 million drivers from over 1000 brands (millions more if you pay), so there's a good chance it'll find what you need driver. I like that when new updates come out, they are downloaded from within the program so I can avoid manually getting them from each manufacturer's website.
Before installing a driver, it can be helpful to see how the new version compares to the currently installed driver. If there are problems with the installation, the program creates a restore point before installing the driver.
There is also a built-in offline updater. It works by exporting information from a non-working computer so that you can get network drivers from a working computer. For all the details, read Driver Booster's offline driver updater instructions.
Additional features are also available: roll back drivers, uninstall drivers, ignore drivers, export driver list to text file, use Game Boost to free up system resources, and view system information details.
Driver Booster is available for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
02/08Snappy driver installer
No ads.
Completely portable (no installation required).
Download the driver from within the software.
Support offline driver installation.
Scan schedules are not supported.
Not as easy to use or intuitive as similar software.
Snappy Driver Installer allows you to download multiple drivers for multiple types of devices at once. Once downloaded, the program allows you to install updates immediately, regardless of whether you have an Internet connection or not.
After using it for a while, I can say that the app itself is fairly simple, but it's still strangely difficult to use because of the way it's set up. Right-clicking a driver provides additional options, such as displaying alternative drivers, copying the hardware ID, and locating the driver's INF file. If you're having trouble understanding how the program works, I recommend using the Snappy Driver Installer Origin forum.
Some things I like are that there are no ads, it doesn't limit download speeds, it can run directly from a portable location like a flash drive, and it can install as many drivers as you want without any limitations.
I've used it to install drivers in Windows 11, but it will also work if you're using an older version like Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.
Open the ZIP There are some application files in the downloaded folder. If you use 64-bit Windows, use SDIO_x64 ; the other one is for the 32-bit version.
03/08Drive cloud
Find the beta driver.
Only WHQL certified drivers can be displayed.
Many other system details are also displayed.
Can be used offline.
Drivers can be downloaded in batches.
Create a restore point for you.
Can receive email alerts for new drivers.
There is no fully automated solution.
The website is full of ads.
Like most driver update programs, there's a lot of information that's not easy to see at a glance.
Unintuitive website design.
DriversCloud (formerly Ma-Config) is a free web service that finds detailed information about your hardware and software, including outdated drivers. You can see it wasn't my first choice, but I added it to the list because it contains a wealth of system information; it's a great program if you want more than just driver details .
After installing and opening the program, go to Advanced Detection > Online Detection > Startup Detection to identify all components of your computer and their associated drivers. Once the scan is complete, all results will open in your web browser.
Once you reach the driver page, there will be an option called "View recommended downloads." This is what I recommend because it provides an executable that you can launch to install all the drivers you select from the web page. However, there is also a manual option where you can download driver updates one at a time, but the installation is also manual.
The program runs on Windows 11 to Windows XP.
Driver talent
Installation is quick.
You don't have to download the drivers manually - they are downloaded from within the software.
The program is easy to use.
Drivers are backed up before every installation and uninstallation.
Allows you to reinstall existing drivers.
Batch downloading is not supported (each driver must be downloaded one by one).
Scan schedule cannot be customized.
You still need to install the driver yourself.
Network printer driver update not found.
Some features shown, but not free.
Driver Talent (formerly DriveTheLife) is a simple program that downloads device drivers so you don't have to search the internet for official download links.
The application not only updates outdated and missing drivers but also repairs corrupted drivers and backs up all installed drivers. The program's Peripheral Drivers area brings up printer and USB drivers, telling you very clearly whether they are installed and working properly.
The driver's size, along with its release date and version number, are displayed before the download begins to verify you're getting what you need. This isn't a feature exclusive to Driver Talent, but I really like seeing it.
The alternative version includes network drivers and works offline, which is perfect if you need to install a driver but don't have the correct network driver installed. After I installed some new Windows, I couldn't get online without a network driver, which was a must for me. There's also a basic hardware information utility, which you can access from the program's Tools menu.
It works on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
05/08Fast driver updater
The program installs quickly.
Displays the installed and available version number and date of the driver.
A restore point will be created before installation.
Allows you to select a scan schedule to alert you about updates.
Keep advertising the pro version.
Each update must be installed individually.
Additional features require payment, such as increased download speeds and driver backup.
After testing the Quick Driver Updater program, it's clear that it doesn't offer many significantly unique features in addition to the other programs on this list. In fact, it is more restrictive in many ways than the other programs mentioned above.
However, it's easy to understand how to use it, it runs fast, the drivers are downloaded and installed within the program, and it's good to find an extra update or two if not found with one of the other apps on this list method them.
Some things you can do is search the list of installed and outdated drivers to find something by keyword, add drivers to the ignore list, and automatically check for updates on a schedule (so often every day).
I used this program in Windows 11. It is designed for Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7.
06/08driver identification code
Works offline without an internet connection.
You can use it as a portable program.
It's easy to understand and use.
Includes useful information about drivers
Drivers must be downloaded manually from a web browser.
Checking for outdated drivers is not scheduled.
The portable version is not the latest version.
An attempt was made to install unrelated programs during the installation process.
DriverIdentifier comes in the form of a very simple driver checker. Once run, the result will open in your web browser, where you can then manually download the required drivers and then manually install them once they are installed on your computer.
Obviously, this isn't ideal - it's a lot more work than needed. Without a built-in scheduler, I can't say it's as good as the competition. However , it's a simple tool that's completely portable, and like some of the others on this list, it's a good idea to have it on hand if you want to double-check whether a particular driver is indeed out of date.
What I like is that it scans for drivers even if you don't have an internet connection, which is helpful if your network card driver isn't working. Once the offline scan is complete, the driver list is saved to a file that you can open on your work computer to get the required drivers.
Official system requirements list Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
07/08Driver Center
The interface is clean and easy to understand.
Drivers can be downloaded in batches.
Drivers are installed automatically without any intervention from you.
During the installation process you will be asked to install additional programs.
Recommend irrelevant software.
Unable to automatically check for updates on schedule.
Download speeds may be limited for free users.
DriverHub downloads and installs the drivers for you, and there's an entire section of the program dedicated to recovering if something goes wrong.
The program itself has a clean interface with just a few menu buttons. The settings include options to change the download folder and disable program update checks.
You can keep it simple and install whatever the program recommends, or you can expand anything in the list to see the version number and install an alternate driver (i.e. a newer driver but not the current version).
The Useful Utilities section has nothing to do with drivers, but contains useful links to some Windows utilities, such as Disk Management and Task Manager. Some other areas of the program, such as the backup and autorun features, are off limits unless you pay.
DriverHub is said to work with Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7.
08/08drive max
There are no prompts when updating drivers (they are installed automatically).
Drivers are downloaded from within the program.
Also lets you back up all device drivers.
Offline scan files can be created.
Allows you to edit the scan schedule.
Driver downloads are limited to two times per day.
Only one driver can be downloaded at a time (no bulk download option).
Blocks certain features; they are reserved for professional users.
DriverMax is another free Windows program that can update outdated drivers. While it's limited in some areas, it excels in others.
In addition to updating old drivers, the program can back up some or all currently installed drivers, restore backed up drivers, roll back drivers, identify unknown hardware, create system restore points before driver installation, Construct offline scan files for computers without network connectivity and run automated scans on a schedule.
Once an update is found, you'll get a notification at the bottom of the screen, and you can snooze it by a day if you want to see the update later. Once you decide to install the update, you'll only get one at a time (a total of two per day), although it will install silently automatically.
DriverMax finds significantly more outdated drivers than any other program on this list. I checked the version numbers against the currently installed drivers and they all appear to be valid updates and installing them causes no issues.
Paid users get additional benefits such as unlimited downloads, hourly driver checks, download prioritization, and automatic driver downloads.
The program runs on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Although this program limits the number of downloads you can perform per day, you can still check for outdated drivers as often as needed. You are only limited in downloading them. I talk more about why this limitation isn't as bad as it sounds in the comments.
Each of the above tools is designed to run on a variety of computer systems, helping you find the right drivers you need. However, if you know the manufacturer of the device in question, it's worth checking their website for tools specifically designed to update these drivers.
For example, the Intel Driver and Support Assistant can be used to update most Intel hardware drivers. It's just as easy to update NVIDIA drivers using a similar program.
